Our History

Ivy Hill Foundation, Inc., dba Ivy Hill Therapeutic Equestrian Center (Ivy Hill) is a community-based non-profit 501 (c)(3) established in 1999. Regine and Lee Greaser of Telford.PA, founded the therapeutic program for their autistic foster son, Michael, when conventional therapy failed to help him successfully interact or communicate at home or in school. A Masters prepared Registered Nurse from Germany, Regine knew the decades-long history and effectiveness of equine therapy. She established a partnership with Robin Rooth of the Indian Creek Foundation, Michael’s caseworker. Co-founder Renee Reichley, a NARHA-certified riding instructor became Ivy Hill’s first stable manager of a 6-stall barn on the Greaser’s farm. The first Board meeting was held on November 11, 1998, with six board members and an initial start-up budget of $10,000.

The rest, as they say, is history. In the last 19 years, Ivy Hill has grown to serve 269 program riders with 17 therapy horses, 26 staff and 125 volunteers. Since its beginning, Ivy Hill has provided equine-assisted activities and therapeutic programs for children and adults with special needs as well as financial and emotional support for their families and caregivers. Through a unique and holistic approach to interactive therapy and using the horse as a therapeutic partner, Ivy Hill has impacted the lives of over 500 children, adults and their families that struggle with physical, emotional, social, psychological and behavioral challenges.

In February 2012, the Ivy Hill Board of Directors approved the move to a 24,000 sq. ft. facility on a 13.5 acre farm made available by the Brockett Family of Skippack, PA. Construction began in July 2014 and was completed in January 2015. The size of the new facility increased Ivy Hill’s capacity to respond to a growing community need and positions the Center to become the leader in specialized programs dedicated to an exponentially growing special needs population. Ivy Hill is poised to distinguish itself from neighboring therapeutic programs by leading the way with creativity, compassion and commitment.

Sadly, Regine never got to see her vision of Ivy Hill, its programs, the facility or the impact Ivy Hill would have on its communities become a reality. Resigning from the board in 2001, Regine passed away in April 2013 after a two-year battle with cancer. In May 2015, Regine’s husband Lee Greaser found his way to Ivy Hill at its new facility. Touring the new barn, the stables and horses and watching the riders in their lessons, Greaser stated, “This is what we envisioned 16 years ago, but never dreamed it could happen. This is everything we could have hoped for.”

As our journey continues, we invite you to become part of the equation: Horses + Love = Hope